Source of Recipe: vegetron
Cook the potatoes a little over half way before chopping. (I microwave them on high for about 5 minutes, but you can also bake them for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees.)
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Saute until onion is tender. Stir in potatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Stir in water, broth, tomatoes, tomato juice, and bay leaves. (The liquid added should total 8 cups.) Bring to a boil. Add lentils and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for at least 1 hour.
Cook frozen spinach separately, by the package directions, or skip this step if using fresh spinach. Add the spinach and vinegar to the soup in the last 5 minutes of simmering.
Serve with garlic bread, cornbread, rice, or crackers.

SO HOW'D IT GO?

But, I found it was a bit bland originally, so I modified it a bit by adding 1/4 cup tamari, and changing the broth-water ratio to 5.5 cups broth and 2 cups water (I'm using bouillon powder; I don't know how that ratio would work for actual vege broth) and I used a whole 28oz can of stewed tomatoes because I didn't want to save like... two stewed tomatoes and a 1/4 cup of juice in the fridge.

This soup was awesome! I didn't have potatoes so I added extra celery and lentils. I used 4 fresh tomatoes instead of the canned and paste. I also used curry paste and seasoned salt to give it a kick. I bought a whole bunch of lentils in bulk, so I'll be making this soup for a while...the veges make it a meal! My husband said it's the best meal I've ever made. It took at least 3 hours for my lentils to cook though, which made for a late dinner, but it was worth the wait!